#ThisIsWhoWeAre

Happy April, PXU Family! This month, we have quite a few celebrations throughout the month, however, two really important month-long celebrations we are proud to celebrate are Multilingual Learners Month and National School Library Month.

PXU is proud to share news of our first known Million Dollar Scholar for the 2024-2025 school year. Clemente Payan Burgos from Maryvale Gifted & Talented Academy is currently at $1.6M in total awarded scholarships and counting. He plans to attend Wash U in the Fall to study for a career in Human Resources. Congratulations, Clemente!

Mr. Jorge Ambriz, a mathematics teacher at Wilson College Prep, has been serving as an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy in the office of Congressman Raúl Grijalva (AZ-07) for the 2024-2025 academic year. Jorge was selected from a nationwide pool of highly qualified applicants to participate in the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship (AEF) Program from August 19, 2024, through July 18, 2025, in the Washington, DC, area. As the Fellowship nears its half-way point, we want to provide an update on Jorge’s accomplishments to date and thank you for allowing Jorge to serve as an outstanding representative of your school district.

The goal of the AEF Program is to provide outstanding science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) educators the opportunity to bring their insights, extensive knowledge, and practical experience as classroom educators to the legislative and executive branches to help inform the establishment and implementation of federal education programs. Federal agencies and Congressional offices that participate in the AEF Program benefit from the Fellows’ real-world experiences as STEM educators and from the Fellows’ past experiences. Fellows gain understanding of the role of the federal government in the U.S. education enterprise and the broad spectrum of programs and resources available. Fellows also gain extensive professional development opportunities during their 11-month tenure. This year, Fellows strengthened their STEM content knowledge through exposure and interaction with government decision-makers, practitioners, and program managers from organizations such as the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the STEM Education Coalition, the Department of Defense, the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and the Smithsonian Institutions. Mr. Ambriz looks forward to sharing his newly gained knowledge and experience with his local education community and school district.

As a Congressional Fellow, Mr. Ambriz manages a diverse policy portfolio, focusing on education and related issues. Drawing from his teaching experience, he advises on education initiatives and serves as the liaison to the Congressional Equality Caucus. Jorge’s professional development targets growth as a STEM educator and leader. He has attended Capitol Hill briefings and presented at conferences in Arizona and Alaska to expand his expertise.

PXU would like to congratulate the Central Boys Basketball team for their huge win against Mountain Pointe for the State Championship! We are so proud of them. Pictures from the big game can be found at PXUSports.org.

Two incredible Central High School students participated in The 32nd Annual Arizona Japanese Speech Contest at MCC on Saturday, April 5th.

Congratulations to the following students:

Shaundiin Cody - Category A "Self-introduction"

Alan Gasperin - Category B "My trip." Alan won first place in High School Division - Category B "My trip." He is the first Bobcat who brought us winning first place in the Japanese speech contest!

Ms. Amanda Bailey has been named the Kathy Lindholm Lane Arizona Dance Educator of the Year by the Arizona Dance Education Organization (AzDEO).

This prestigious award recognizes educators who inspire students and colleagues through their example, enthusiasm, and advocacy for quality dance education. Ms. Bailey’s dedication to her students, her leadership within the dance education community, and her tireless support for the arts have earned her this well-deserved honor.

Ms. Bailey has been a long-time member of AzDEO, served on various committees, and was the inaugural recipient of the Bill Evans Excellence in Teaching Award in 2009. Her impact on the Maryvale community and the broader dance education field is truly remarkable.

Please join us in congratulating Ms. Bailey on this outstanding achievement.

On Cesar Chavez Day, students from Cesar Chavez, Bioscience, Central, North, and staff from across PXU signed up to help clean up alleys near 37th Ave and Roosevelt, representing PXU and City of Phoenix District 4. PXU Governing Board President and Councilwoman Laura Pastor were both present. Councilwoman Pastor gave them a certificate of appreciation. Thank you to all who volunteered!

We are so happy to share that GTA Junior Fabian Melton has been selected to participate in the 2025 KEYS Research Internship this summer (June 2-July 18).

KEYS interns will contribute to interdisciplinary bioscience research using biotechnology and data analysis techniques while contributing to the development of new scientific knowledge. Interns will also develop science literacy skills and learn how to communicate their research to a varied audience.

All interns will present their research through a poster presentation at the KEYS Research Showcase on the last day of the program, July 18th from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. at the Health Sciences Building (1670 E. Drachman Street, Tucson, AZ).

We are very excited to have Fabian participate in this amazing opportunity and look forward to learning more about his research. Thank you, Ms. Owen and Mr. Baker, for you mentoring of this fabulous student!

To learn more about the KEYS Research Internship, please visit : https://keys.arizona.edu/news/bio5-institute-announces-largest-cohort-2025-keys-research-internship

Congratulations to Angie Flores Figueroa and Akemi Castaneda Campos who have both successfully completed their first solo flight through the South Flight program. We are so proud of them!

South Upward and Onward alongside AZ Health Zone/University of Arizona hosted a huge reveal of a brand new garden on campus. After speeches and the ribbon ceremony, attendees and students planted various seeds and plants into the new space. Congratulations to South Upward and Onward for their hard work bringing this garden to fruition!

Maryvale's incredible Mariachi program, Las Panteras de Oro, were recently featured on NPR. Click the button below to view the feature:

Recently, Franklin received a generous donation of food and supplies from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, with remarks from their current Vice President and former Maricopa County Sheriff, Paul Penzone. Congratulations, Franklin!

Wilson hosted an AVID Showcase where educators from both in and out of district came to observe what an AVID education offers Wilson students. Groups of visitors were led into various classes by student leaders, and overall it was a successful day of promoting AVID. Way to go, Wilson!

Ms. Irene Diaz, our Student Health & Safety Director, was appointed as a Consortium Lead for the Arizona Regional Consortiums for School Safety Emergency Preparedness (ARCSEP) for Central Arizona. This consortium is sponsored by The Trust which hosts quarterly meetings in the West, East, and Central Valley (greater Phoenix area), Northern Arizona (Flagstaff, AZ), Western Arizona (Yuma, AZ), and Southern Arizona (Tucson, AZ). These meetings consist of school safety professionals discussing emergency preparedness and presenting on novel safety strategies, challenges, and recent happenings throughout the state or nation. As most of you know, Ms. Diaz has more than 25 years of experience in this important work, and we are very proud she will be representing the Phoenix Union High School District. Congratulations, Ms. Diaz!

Chavez Academic Decathlon qualified for the National competition by winning 3rd place at the state ACADEC Championship for large schools in early March. Nationals will be online 4/17 and 5/2. Way to go Champions!

Congratulations to Victoria Ballard from Cesar Chavez for being the AZ Central Student of the Week for March 17th thru 21st! Click the button below to view the article about her.

The Valley of the Sun Chapter of the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) honored Desiderata Alternative Program as a recipient of a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition for advocacy and steadfast dedication to building a community of hope for all those in need. Social workers Stacy Lona Hicks and Jennifer Gonzalez were in attendance to accept the award at NAMI's "Heroes Among Us" Annual Giving Breakfast. The event is intended to celebrate community members whose compassion and actions make a difference in mental health. Desiderata has had a strong partnership with NAMI to provide monthly support and psychoeducation groups for students. These groups are aimed at reducing stigma, providing resources, and creating a supportive community for students experiencing challenges with their mental health. Social Worker Stacy Lona Hicks additionally had the opportunity to serve on their panel and share thoughts and experiences regarding the mental health challenges facing our youth today. Desiderata is so grateful for our partnership with NAMI and for the work NAMI does to make an impact on students, families and communities in Arizona. Congratulations, Desiderata!

Recently, over 50 families attended a workshop at Maryvale High School to hear what they need to do to prepare for when their students turn 18. For most students, their educational rights automatically transfer when they turn 18. For some students who have significant cognitive disabilities or more complex needs, parents benefit from either obtaining a delegation of educational rights or various stages of guardianship to help them. We provided two sessions simultaneously in partnership with Raising Special Kids to English speaking families and to Spanish speaking families. Families came from all over PXU and even private day schools, Horizon High School, and Empower Charter. What an incredible opportunity!

Ethan Siqueiro from Phoenix Coding Academy created a Yocumonster in Mr. Yocum's Art Explorations 3-4 class at Phoenix Coding Academy. Yocumonsters are cute and creepy faux taxidermy made from felt. Ethan's monster is called Jam Z.

Her artist statement: "A wonderful conglomeration of color and personality, I give you, Jam Z. He is a product of trusting and loving the creation process, from his bunny ears to his gator snout and teeth."

Ethan achieved 1st place with the Yocumonster, Jam Z at the PXU Art Show in the Sculpture category.

Camelback DECA excelled at SCDC, winning ten medals, including finalist and testing medals. CBHS DECA also received three prestigious awards: the Thrive Award, the Gold Chapter Enrichment Award, and the Community Service Award.

Additionally, CBHS DECA had 6 finalists in the Community Giving and Career Development project-based competitions. 1 finalist in the entrepreneur competition, and 2 in the SBE competition. Isabela Stender (ENT), Emma Garcia (SBE), and Christopher Hernandez (SBE) placed high enough to earn an invitation to the ICDC event in Orlando on April 26th. CBHS also earned two spots to ICDC with their THRIVE award winners.

In total, 15 students received medals and awards. We are extremely proud of their achievements and look forward to future competitions with this outstanding group of students. They certainly made Camelback proud!

· Esmerelda Martinez

· Aliyah Galindo

· Jennae Oliver

· Isabela Steder

· Ocean Wolf

· Jeniffer Lare Torres

· Robert Davis

· Omar Hernandez

· Clayton Barnes

· Alan Perez

· Marco Peralta

· Clayton Barnes

· Westly Scott

· Emma Garcia]

· Christpher Hernandez Valerio

Bioscience recently hosted an internship fair for their juniors to engage with possible employers and prepare for their futures. Thank you to all of the community partners who participated and showed interest in hiring our incredible students!

When your Culinary Bobcats are not working hard in the kitchen at school, they are volunteering their time to work a professional event. On Saturday, 8 students worked the P.A.N.D.A. Gala at the Jet Linx Hangar in Scottsdale. P.A.N.D.A. stands for Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal infections. One stand out moment of the night for them was seeing all the children that are affected by this disorder there and all dressed up. They got to be a part of a fashion show.

The 8 students, along with an event chef, worked a station that put out over 500 plates for both the salad course and dinner course. The dinner course was completed on their end in 49 minutes. To date, this is the largest event they have worked. While they only worked 500 plates, there were over 1100 guests at this event.

The menu for the night:

Port Braised Short Ribs with sauteed leeks, roasted corn puree, baby heirloom carrots, avocado-lime gremolata, and a port gastrique

King Trumpet & Smoked Oyster Mushrooms with sauteed leeks, roasted corn puree, baby heirloom carrots, avocado-lime gremolata, and a port gastrique

Chocolate Budino with sprayed chocolate, chocolate crumbles, and a citrus coulis

Raspberry Creme Bar with vanilla sponge, raspberry marmalade, vanilla bean parisienne creme, and a raspberry mirror glaze.

What an amazing opportunity! We are so proud of them.

Recently, ASU’s School of Art hosted Betty Fairfax Visual Arts students. The students toured the brand-new University Gateway Building which houses all traditional photography, digital photography, and animation studios. The students then continued their tour of the School of Art.

During the tour the students had the opportunity to interact with ASU instructors and students. After the tour, the students ate lunch at the MU. It was a great day.

Betty Fairfax recently hosted an assembly for Women’s History Month featuring student hosts and motivational words from Fairfax AP Ms. Granillo-Sotelo and Arizona Governor’s Office Deputy Chief of Staff for Outreach & Engagement, Tracy Lopes. Thank you to the Governor’s Office for supporting this event, and congratulations to Fairfax for a successful assembly!

On February 26, Carl Hayden hosted a Future Freshman night to showcase all of the incredible things that Hayden and PXU have to offer. It was a successful event. Congrats, Hayden!

On March 19th, Carl Hayden students went on a field trip to the Carver Museum. “The George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center began as the segregated Phoenix Union Colored High School for African American the Greater Phoenix (Arizona) Area in 1926. Today, “The Carver” is a national historic landmark dedicated to the collection, documentation, preservation, study, and dissemination of the history and culture of African Americans in Arizona and the American west. With deep connections in the community and bold personality, “The Carver” brings history, art, artists, and community together to support creativity, Black knowledge systems, and socioeconomic advancement at every level.” Students and teachers alike were fully engrossed during the introduction and tour provided by Dr. Whitaker. It is imperative for our students to learn about the history of their state, community and school District.

On February 19th Carl Hayden held its third annual free book fair. This event is made possible with the collaboration of student clubs and teachers and community members such as the Action Alliance, Aliento, and Arizona Talking Book Library. AZ Humanities who sponsored our event secured $2000 worth of free books from local, independently owned bookstores, Palabras and Grassrootz. Palabras is the first bilingual bookstore in Arizona, and they provided all of the Spanish titled books to serve our population of English language learners. The remainder of the books given to students were provided by Friends of the Phoenix Public Library. A representative of Burton Barr’s Phoenix Public Library was also available to sign students up for library cards. The free bookfair not only provides free books and literacy resources to our students but allows families within our community to start their own home libraries. Promoting literacy within our community is essential to the continued success of our students.

The Arizona Dance Education Organization (AzDEO) recently announced that Ms. Lauran Stanis from Metro Tech High School is the recipient of the Bill Evans Excellence in Teaching Award. This prestigious award is only given when an appropriate candidate meets the specific criteria. This honor was reviewed by a committee of members and dance educators.

The Bill Evans Excellence in Teaching honoree must exhibit best teaching practices as exemplified by Bill Evans. They must create a sense of community in the classroom, demonstrate extensive understanding of dance content and artistic processes, create an environment of trust in which students can experience change, engage students in the learning process, and develop in students an appreciation of the relationship between music and dance.

Congratulations, Ms. Stanis!

Metro Tech High School Pharmacy CTE seniors, Pilar Agredano and Giselle Rivas have placed #1 and # 3 in the HOSA State Leadership Conference in Pharmacy Science. Additionally, Dolores Franco placed #9 in Pharmacology.

Pilar Agredeno and Giselle Rivas will be attending the International Leadership Conference this June in Nashville, Tennessee.

Their instructor, Dr. Annette Wright-Smith, would like to thank all of the Phoenix Union District teachers and staff that have assisted her and the students to achieve this remarkable state recognition and achievement.

PXU would like to congratulate Aaron Moreno from Trevor G. Browne for securing the top spot in the state for the HOSA Veterinary Sciences category. He will go on to represent the District and the State of Arizona at the HOSA International Leadership Conference this summer. Aaron notes that he competed against students from schools with Veterinary Science programs and came out on top as a self-study student. Congratulations, Aaron!

The PXU Piano Festival took place on March 24 at Maryvale High School. This Festival gives current PXU Piano students the opportunity to extend their skill sets beyond the classroom piano experience. Students prepare a solo or duet and are adjudicated by a panel of collegiate-level piano instructors. Each student will get roughly 5 minutes to perform their prepared piece and receive high quality feedback from the panel for continued growth. The top performers are invited to perform at a recital at the end of the day. In addition, professional performers and presenters will share their expertise and knowledge with PXU students and educators throughout the day. What an incredible opportunity!

On March 26, the District Art Show took place at the Carver Museum. Students from across the district showcased their art in multiple mediums for the public to view. Click the button below to view all of the winners and their work:

On March 27, the PXU One Act Festival took place at North. The PXU One Act Festival is an annual gathering of student performers and theatre programs where the students can meet, share experiences, watch live theatrical productions, and perform. The ultimate intention is to have students grow as actors and build a sense of theatre community. Students engage in viewing and discussing a wide variety of work and have the opportunity to give and receive feedback from their peers and from other teachers from around the district. Great job to all students who participated!

First, the Alhambra Battalion Commander, Cadet Kowa Karish, has been accepted to the University of Pennsylvania (Penn). She was awarded scholarships and grants totaling $96,856.00 per year with an unmet need of $0.00 with no student loans.

Kowa is interested in studying corporate or criminal defense law and is eager to begin her Ivy League education in the fall. She is a first-generation college student and was born in Ethiopia. She and her family moved to the United States when she was a small child, and she is passionate about humanitarian issues.

On Saturday, March 29, our Maryvale JROTC Color Guard led the parade that started at Maryvale HS along the canal from 59th to 63rd Ave to celebrate the first pedestrian bridge crossing in the Maryvale community that is part of the Grand Canalscape project by the City of Phoenix. Major Kate Gallego and District 5 Councilwoman Betty Guardado were present for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The new path in the Maryvale community adds to the 12 already existing miles for bicyclists and pedestrians along the Grand Canal in Phoenix. The Maryvale community came out to support this event along with our Maryvale HS students, most notably the JROTC and Mariachi Band. Our students continue to shine in the community.

The PXU Libraries have been busy promoting all their resources among teachers, students, and staff! Our circulation numbers are soaring! We appreciate all students and staff for accessing and utilizing our fabulous resources during this last quarter!

For the last few years, PXU Teacher Librarians have recognized their readers in various ways. For the last 3 years, more students have been rewarded than ever thanks to a generous mini grant awarded by the Phoenix Union Foundation for Education. Every quarter, all PXU Teacher Librarians recognize their top three readers for each campus and award them with the goodies provided by the Phoenix Union Foundation for Education grant. This recognition of our top readers helps promote literacy and reading within PXU.

During the school year, at least one hundred forty-three students are impacted by the Top Readers program, as each of the Teacher Librarians rewards three students per quarter, with one extra student per school being recognized during the fourth quarter. Besides giving the students a reading-themed kit with awards and prizes, the Teacher Librarians recognize the top readers with a certificate and mention their achievement in the library quarterly newsletter, school events, and social media posts.

Implementing an award program for PXU students supports literacy districtwide by reinforcing reading habits in every student and encouraging the development of reading as a lifelong habit. From our experience with this program, we can also attest that students feel a great sense of accomplishment and recognition and aim to continue their journey as readers. According to research and teachers’ experience, reading increases comprehension, background knowledge, and students’ vocabulary skills. When reading a book, readers develop a better understanding of different human behaviors and experience feelings of empathy with characters that can be translated to real life situations. Nurturing students’ love of reading leads to increases in adaptability, self-efficacy and integrity, all learner attributes that lead to future success in school and the workplace. The continued support from the Phoenix Union Foundation for Education helps to make initiatives like the Top Reader Program possible.

Hayden Handball recently paired up with a local Big Ball Pro to play a doubles tournament. They had 9 doubles groups with 8 of the groups consisting of one pro and one junior. Every team had at least 6 matches, the first two games were to 21, and the tie breaker was straight up to 15. Congratulations to them for such a successful tournament!

For the first time, getting access to comprehensive healthcare will be as easy as going to school for our students and families. This initiative marks a major step in expanding access to comprehensive healthcare services for students, staff, and families within Phoenix Union, ensuring that students can receive the care they need without unnecessary delays or disruptions to their education. The program began on Monday, March 31, at Alhambra High School and the Academies at South Mountain for students and staff. Future expansion is already in the works and will provide services to the families and the broader communities, as well as expand to include more campuses. Visit PXU.org/Clinics for more info!

PXU is proud to share that next school year, Alhambra and TGB will offer Education Professions as a CTE pathway. TGB is enrolling 10th-12th grades and Alhambra is enrolling all grade levels. Seats are still available, but are filling quickly!

PXU Family, as we continue working on creating The Future of Phoenix, we want to remind you all that the PXU Shop has our 2024–2025 shirts available in both white and black. Click here to visit the shop and get your own shirts to support the Phoenix Union Foundation for Education.

Are you looking for sports photos taken by the district? Visit PXUSports.org to view the library of sports photos taken by PXU. This library is updated as sporting events and seasons occur.

It's not to early to prepare for graduation! See the photos above or visit PXU.org/Graduation for the full schedule.

PXU Family, if you notice something regarding safety that you want to report confidentially, dial 602-764-SAFE (7233) to report it.

As you know, PXU is in its second year of the Strive for Less than Five campaign, encouraging our students to have less than five absences each semester. We also launched the Strive For Five campaign at Phoenix Digital Academy, to promote online class engagement five hours, five days a week each quarter. Since the launch of both campaigns, we have seen amazing things happening at each campus. Both students and parents/guardians have received a variety of information about our attendance expectations and new initiatives. Keep up the good work!

You can find many attendance tips, tools, and resources on the Attendance Works website: https://www.attendanceworks.org/.

The City of Phoenix is excited to announce the launch of the Parks and Recreation Department’s Master Plan—a vital initiative that will guide the future development of our city’s parks and recreational facilities. This comprehensive plan will ensure that our green spaces continue to thrive and serve our community for years to come. As part of this effort, we invite you to share your feedback to help shape the future of parks and recreation in Phoenix. Your input will play a crucial role in guiding decisions on park improvements, new amenities, and long-term planning. Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts by completing our survey or leaving feedback on our interactive map!

How You Can Get Involved:

• Visit www.parksmasterplanphx.com to learn more about the process and focus areas.

• Take the Survey: Your feedback is crucial. The survey will help us understand your views and priorities.

• Use the Interactive Feedback Map: Share your ideas or leave a comment directly at any park facility!

• Encourage Participation: Spread the word! Share the importance of participation in the Master Plan with your family, friends, and community!

ElevateEdAZ hosted a hiring fair at Metro Tech for students from Metro Tech, South, Betty Fairfax, Central, Alhambra, and Coding. What a great opportunity for our students to engage with potential employers! Thank you for your consistent support of our students and their futures, ElevateEd!

Are you interested in teaching dual enrollment courses? Great news: ElevateEdAZ and Helios Education Foundation are now offering a $1,000 incentive to teachers who become qualified to teach dual enrollment between April 2024 and June 2025. Visit our website for more information: https://elevateedaz.com/educators/incentive-program/.

Click the file below to learn more about ElevateEdAZ's Credential Incentive Program:

We encourage you to share with your networks and encourage students to seek out the resources that ElevateEdAZ provides!

Email: vherb@phoenixunion.org
Website: pxu.org
Location: 4502 North Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ, USA
Phone: 602-764-1528
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/phoenixunion